Beet-harvesting plow.



No. 715,320. Patented Dec. 9. 1902. I. L. UMSTEAH.

BEET HARVESTING PLOW.

(Application filed May 22, 1902.)

(No Madal.)'

a I a fn m km 54 NITED STATES ATENT FICE ISAAC L. UMSTEAD, OF OAMARILLO,CALIFORNIA.

BEET-HARVESTING PLOW.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 715,320, dated December9, 1902.

Application filed May 22, 1902. Serial No. 108,570. (No modeli] To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC L. UMSTEAD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Camarillo, in the county of Ventura and State of California,have invented a new and useful Beet-Harvesting Plow, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention is an improved sulky plow adapted for use in harvestingsugar-beets; and it consists in the peculiar construction andcombination of devices hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of abeet-harvesting plow constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2is atop plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation showingthe standard which carries the point or share, the standard-plate whichcarries the laterally-extending shearing-blade that runs in rear of thepoint or share, and the landside-plate that connects the lower ends ofthe standard and the standard-plate together. Fig. 4 is a detail topplan view of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of theshearingblade. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the spreading-arm.

To one side of the beam 1 is secured the upper end of a standard-plate2. In practice this standard-plate is relatively broad and thin, beingpreferably about twelve inches wide and about one-half an inch thick.At. the front edge of the standard-plate is the standard 3, the upperend of which is also secured to one side of the beam 1, and the saidstandard corresponds with the standard-plate in thickness and has itsfront edge sharpened, as at 4, to enable the standard to readily cutthrough the soil and to run at a considerable depth therein. At thelower end of the standard 2 is formed a foot 5, the upper side of whichinclines downwardly and forwardly, as at 6, and the said standard-footis adapted to carry a reversible share or point 7 on its said inclinedside, the said share or point being secured on the foot by means ofbolts 8, one or more. The said point is preferably of the form shown,with parallel sides and with its opposite ends alike in shape, so thateither end of the share or point may be disposed foremost. The saidshare or point is longitudinally adjustable on the foot, so

that it may be extended downwardly and forwardly as'the same becomesworn, and the saidpoint or share may be reversed end for end, so thatits life may be greatly prolonged. The said point or share projectslaterally from the side opposite the landside and is of appropriatewidth. A landslide-plate 9 is here shown as bolted to the lower ends ofthe standard'and standard-plate and extending rearwardly from thestandard-plate. In practice the landside may be formed integrally withthe standard-plate, and I do not desire to limit myself in thisparticular. Preferably the upper end of the standardplate is bentlaterally, as at 10, to bear on the upper side of the beam 1.

On opposite sides of the beam at a suitable distance from the rear endthereof are laterally-bowed side bars 11 12, which have their endssecured to the beam by bolts 13 14, the latter bolts also passingthrough the upper portion of the standard-plate to secure the latter tothe beam. A pair of axles 15 16, which are disposed one in advance ofthe other, are journaled in bearings 17 18, respectively, on the saidside bars, the said axles extending across and above the beam.

- The axles are provided, respectively, at their opposite ends withdownturned drop or crank arms 19 20, having at their lower endsoutwardly-extending spindles on which the supporting-wheels 21 22 aremounted, one of said wheels being carried by each of said cranked axles.On the side bar 11 is a segment-plate 23, which is concentric with theaxle 15 and is provided with a series of adjusting-openin gs 24. Saidaxle 15 has a handlever 25 secured thereto, which engages thesegment-plate, as shown in Fig. 1, and said hand-lever is provided witha locking device 26 of suitable form, which is adapted to engage any ofthe adjusting-openings 24, andhence lock the saidhand-lever at anydesired position. It will be understood that by means of the hand-leverthe axle 15 may be partly turned to cause the crank or drop arm thereofto raise or lower the wheel'2l carried by said axle. A spring 27, whichis here shown as a coiled retractile spring, is connected at one end tothe beam and has its opposite end connected to an arm 28, that issecured to and projects from the axle'15. The rear axle 16 has an arm29, the upper end of which is piv' oted to and adjustable on a link 30,that connects the same to the hand-lever 25, so that by operating thelatter the axles 15 16 may be turned simultaneously to simultaneouslyraise or lower the plow. The length of the drop or crank arms of theaxles is such as to enable the plow to be lowered to cause the point orshare to operate at the required depth in the soil, the wheels 21 22hearing on the surface and astride of a row of beets, and the plow beingso directed as to cause the standard and standard-plate to run close toone side of the row of beets, so that the point or share 7 will loosenthe soil thoroughly on one side of the beets.

A laterally-extended shearing-blade 31 is secured to the lower portionof the standardplate at the rear side thereof and projects rearwardly atits outer end, and the said shearing plate or blade has its upper sideinclined somewhat upwardly and rearwardly. The said shearing-blade isdisposed considerably in rear of the standard which carries the point orshare, and its lateral extent is such that it cuts the tap-roots of thebeets as it runs under them in rear and somewhat to one side of thepoint or loosening-share, and owing to the inclined disposition of theupper side of said shearing-blade the same as it cuts the taproots ofthe beets also forces them upwardly, so as to thoroughly loosen them andenable them to be readily withdrawn from the soil. Owing to thedisposition of the shearing-blade in rear of the standard which carriesthe loosening point or share, the draft of the shearing-blade isinconsiderable and the taproots of the beets are not cut thereby untilafter the standard has passed the beets, and hence the standard cannotbecome clogged. When the beets are not to be topped on the same day thatthey are thus plowed, they remain thus loosened and with their tap-rootscut in the ground. If the beets are to have their tops cut off on thesame day that the plow is used, I employ in connection with the plow aspreading-arm 32. The same is preferably of the form shown in thedrawings, being curved laterally to extend from the same side of thestandard-plate with the shearing-blade. The said spreading-arm isdetachably bolted to the standard-plate at a suitable height above theshearing-blade, and

the said spreading-arm is preferably made of spring-steel. It extendsrearwardly beyond and laterally to the same extent as theshearing-blade, so that it lies across and obliquely at an angle to therow of beets and serves to uproot the beets immediately after their tap-.roots have been cut by the shearing-blade and to dispose them all inthe same direction on the surface of the soil to one side of the row inwhich they grew, so that they may be readily topped and picked up by theharvesters who follow the plow. Since this spreading-arm is detachablefrom the standard-plate,

{it maybe used or its use dispensed with, as

may be desired.

A suitable seat 33 for the plowman is here shown as supported on therear end of the beam. The latter is provided at its front end with asuitable clevis 34.

A bracket 35 is bolted to the beam at a suitable distance from the frontend thereof and projects laterally from the furrow side of the beam. Avertically-adjustable arm 36 is secured to the vertical outer side ofthe said bracket by a clip-bolt 37 or other suit-' able device, and tothe lower end of the said vertically-adjustable arm is pivotallyconnected a fork 38, in which is mounted a wheel 39. The latter, as willbe understood, travels on the ground at one side of the row of beetswhen the plow is in operation, coacts with the wheels 21 22 to maintainthe beam in a horizontal position, and also coacts with the Wheels 21 22and the cranked axles which carry them to regulate the depth at whichthe plow operates, thus enabling the plow to be appropriately adjustedwhen in use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A beet-harvesting plowhaving a standard with its opposite sides fiat, and a front cuttingedge, and provided at its lower end with a forwardly-extendingdownwardly-inclined foot, and a laterally-extending upwardly andrearwardly. inclined shearing blade disposed in rear of the standard,substantially as described.

2. A beet-harvesting plow having a standard with its opposite sides fiatand a front cutting edge, an inclined loosening sharepoint in front andprojecting laterally from one side of the standard, and alaterally-extending upwardly and rearwardly inclined cutter disposed inrear of the standard and projecting from the same side thereof with theloosening share-point, substantially as described.

3. A beet-harvesting plow having a stand ard with its opposite sidesflat, and a front cutting edge, an inclined loosening sharepoint infront and projecting laterally from one side of the standard, alaterally-projecting upwardly and rearwardly inclined cutter disposed inrear of the standard and a laterally-projecting spreader-arm above andin rear of the cutter, substantially as described.

4. A beet-harvesting plow having a relatively thin standard with itsopposite sides flat, and a front cutting edge, a looseningshare inadvance and extending to one side thereof, and a tap-root-cutting andbeet-lifting device in rear of the standard, substantially as described.

5. A beet-harvesting plow having a standard plate of slight thickness,with its opposite sides plane and presenting broad lateral surfaces, adownwardly and forwardly inclined share in advance and projecting on oneside thereof, a laterally-extending upwardly standard, alaterally-extending cutter attached to one side of the standard-plate,and a landside-plate connecting the lower ends of I 5 the standard andstandard-plate and extending rearwardly from the latter, substantiallyas described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in :20 the presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC L. UMSTEAD.

Witnesses E. O. VALLIKETT, J. RAY GABBERT.

